20 Gentle Ways To Take Care Of Yourself

Sometimes we expect too much of ourselves. Especially in this day and age where everything seems to be based around how successful we can be. It's important to take time for ourselves and to know our individual limits so we don't become overwhelmed, stressed out, anxious or depressed. And if you are already feeling the pressure of any of these, it is even more important to focus on your well being. Here are 20 easy and gentle ways that you can take care of yourself.

Accept yourself for who you are

The most important thing you can do for yourself is learn to know who you are, be proud of who you are, and love yourself. Don't be too hard on yourself, know you'll make mistakes and accept that you are only human. It's important to trust your instincts and know there's nothing wrong with you, you're perfect the way you are and you're doing the best you can and that is always enough.

Say no to things that aren't important to you

Having too much on your plate at once is overwhelming because you feel burdened to keep up with everything, and when you don't, it only drags you down. Give yourself permission to focus only on what's important and walk away from those unnecessary responsibilities that you've overcrowded your life with.

Write a gratitude journal

Write a few sentences a day of what you're grateful for at this time in your life. Doing this will allow you to focus on the positives each day and to really appreciate the little things. It's also a great tool to have to look back on when you're having a bad day and need a little extra inspiration or motivation.

Get enough sleep

Getting enough sleep is one of the most fundamental rules of self care. Our bodies need rest in order to recharge and replenish. Our minds need to rest in order to stay healthy and fresh. We often think that pushing ourselves to stay up later and finish one more task will help us feel less stressed and maybe it will in the short term, but in the long run, you're just pushing your body to over exertion. An adequate amount of sleep is really what will help you de-stress.

Eat healthy / Take vitamins

Eating healthy and nutritious meals may seem harder and more time consuming than ordering takeout, but it doesn't have to be. There's lots of recipes out there for quick meals and you can even spend a few hours one day making enough meals to get you through the week so you don't have that extra stress weighing on you every day. Getting enough nutrients will give you more energy, make your body feel better, and improve your mood. It's also important to take a multivitamin every day! It takes no time at all and it'll help your mind and body stay healthy (even when you opt for the processed, unhealthy meals).

Keep in touch with a few close friends

You don't need to stay in touch with everyone you know. People understand that life gets busy and socializing can sometimes take a back burner to other things. But it's important to keep in touch with the people you're closest too as they are what make you happy, they are what inspire you. Just the odd text message or phone call or coffee date every few days will help keep your spirits up.

Write positive thoughts or affirmations when you're calm to help you through the tough times

When you're in the middle of an anxiety attack or a dark moment you're not thinking straight and it's hard to remember all the positive things you have going for you in your life. So when you're feeling calm, take some time to write down what you want to remind yourself of during your difficult times. Write down why you're so amazing, a pep-talk to yourself, some ideas of what might help you feel better, any positive thoughts that will help you get through those tough moments in your life.

Walk wherever you can

It might seem more time consuming, but it's way more beneficial to walk instead of drive or take public transit! Not only does walking ensure you're getting exercise everyday, it also gets you outside, giving your body that well-needed fresh air and sunlight. All of this will release those feel-good endorphins inside you, making you feel happier, more energized and more focused.

Ask for help / Have a support group

Sometimes it's a hard lesson to learn, but the sooner you learn it, the more relieved you'll feel - there's absolutely no shame in asking for help! Don't underestimate the people in your life, chances are they want to be there for you, they want to help you. Even having someone else perform simple tasks like doing the dishes, cooking dinner, or doing the laundry can go a long way to reducing the extra stress that has being weighing you down. Your friends, family, and partner only want the best for you, they're on your team! If you need moral support, if you need help with everyday tasks, just ask! 

Don't stifle your emotions

I know it's easier said than done, but one of the worst things you can do is bottle your emotions up inside you. Yell, scream, cry, punch your pillow, whatever you need to do, just let it all out. I promise you'll feel better. 

Don't make any major decisions

Our minds work in mysterious ways. Often when we're feeling depressed or anxious we make rash decisions that seem like the best option at the time, only to end up questioning or regretting our decisions later when we've calmed down. It can take some self control, but save all your major decision making for when you've calmed down and can think clearer, especially if your decisions affect other people and not just yourself. 

Make time for rest

I mentioned the importance of sleep, but it's also important to just rest. Allow time each day for you to just be calm - don't think about work, don't think about the chores building up, don't busy your mind with watching TV shows, scanning the internet or reading a book, give yourself time to just be. 5 minutes of pure rest, actually doing nothing, will do a lot more for you than 20 minutes of scrolling through Facebook.

Be okay with a little mess

A little mess never hurt anyone. When you're feeling overwhelmed in life it's easy to let things like doing the dishes and keeping the house tidy go by the way side but that's okay, nothing's wrong with that. Don't feel bad about it, you can clean up at any time, but for now, just let it be and instead focus on the things that are important. 

Break up your chores or habits into smaller tasks and just do one each day

A long list of things to do is overwhelming and stressful and can really dampen your mood when you can't get everything done. Your life is meant to be lived and enjoyed, you shouldn't feel like you're constantly trying to keep up. Try breaking your routines up into smaller chunks - wash your hair one day, shave your legs the next day, sweep the floor one day, clean out the fridge the next day. By doing this you'll be able to stay on top of everything more easily, and you'll feel more accomplished when you cross off your chore for the day and know that now you have time for yourself.

Get sunlight

One of the best things you can do for yourself is go outside and fill your mind, body and soul with some natural light. Sunlight is proven to increase your mood and if you spend a lot of time indoors under artificial lights than it's even more important that you get that daily dose of sunlight.

Do some easy exercise like yoga

Not every likes yoga, and that's okay, but some light stretching or walking or other exercise you enjoy can go a long way to improving your mood. Exercise releases endorphins in your body so your mind automatically feels a little happier, a little clearer, and a little more focused.

Create routines to keep you on track and make things easier 

When we're going through a rough patch the simplest tasks can become extremely difficult to accomplish. Creating some routines will help you get through those tougher times. Try spending one afternoon making all your meals for the week, forgo wearing makeup or do your hair in the same simple way each day so you can focus on other things, set out all your outfits for the week so when you wake up you can just get up and go without worrying about what to wear. Little routines like this go a long way to getting rid of those little daily stressors that weigh you down.

Take a hot bath with aroma therapy scents or candles

A hot bath is one of the most relaxing things you can do. Use some calming bath salts and light your favourite candles and allow yourself to indulge in some well needed 'you' time.

Take the weekends off

It's important to make time for yourself. We've become too focused on work and money and being the best that we forget to just live, to just be us. Allow yourself that important time to just do what you want to do. No matter what you do during the week, allow yourself those two days on the weekend to have fun, recharge and just do you.

Drink tea, not coffee

I'm not just saying this because I'm addicted to tea, I promise. But caffeine dehydrates you and the effects of it only last so long, meaning eventually it'll cause you to become tired again, and too much can make you jittery and anxious. Tea is a comforting drink and as mentioned in one of my other posts, it actually has natural properties in it that help decrease your anxiety.

How Drinking Tea Can Help You Feel Less Anxious

Anybody who knows me knows that I have a healthy obsession with tea. I love all kinds of tea and I can usually be seen drinking it at any time throughout the day. Not only do I love the flavour and aroma, but I'm also always cold so having a cup of tea does wonders to warm me up from the inside out - ultimately making me feel more alert and alive.

But I also love tea because of the sense of calmness it instills in me. I've always associated coffee as a beverage that people enjoy on the go, but having a good cup of tea requires you to slow down and have a break from your busy schedule. Because of this, I've always seen drinking tea as a way for me to relax, unwind, and calm down.

As it turns out, tea actually has properties within it, an amino acid called L-Theanine, that help you with this very process. So if you're interested in a bit of scientific research on how drinking tea can help you with your stress and anxiety, read the article below. (The original article is from Onomea Tea Company. 

Self Medicating Anxiety with Tea? by John Lee 

Reducing Anxiety with Theanine 

Making the case for a cup of tea…an amino acid in tea may be just what you need to feel less anxious. 

Whether taken as a supplement or in cups of tea, l-theanine is safe and helps many people reduce stress and anxiety. Research shows that l-theanine induces alert/relaxed thinking states, reduces your fight-or flight response to stressful events and helps protect the mind from stress-linked thinking and memory deficits. 

What Is L-Theanine? 

L-theanine, or theanine, is a water soluble amino acid that’s found in tea leaves; it’s also available at higher concentrations as a dietary supplement (one dose equaling roughly 10 cups of tea). When you drink tea, l-theanine passes through the blood-brain barrier and affects the brain directly. L-theanine shares a very similar chemical structure to the neurotransmitter glutamate – which is a transmitter involved in learning and memory. Consuming theanine increases the production of GABA and dopamine. 

How Does It Induce Relaxation? 

One way it promotes relaxation is by reducing sympathetic nervous system activation in stressful situations. When stressed, your body goes into fight or flight mode – heart rate and blood pressure spike, respiration grows shallower and more rapid, pupils dilate and perspiration increases; your body gets ready to fight a threat or flee the scene! Chronic sympathetic nervous system over-activation is unpleasant (you feel stressed out!) and can lead to serious health problems, like cardiovascular disease or dementia. 

But theanine can help: Studies show that people who take theanine prior to stressful situations have a decreased sympathetic nervous system response to that stress. 

What Other Benefits Does It Have? 

Theanine has neuroprotective effects – it protects the brain from excess glutamate toxicity. 

It is an antioxidant and it inhibits lipid peroxidation. Both black and green teas have strong antioxidant properties. It works as a cancer fighter and anti-tumor agent. Theanine can increase the effectiveness of some chemotherapy agents. 

Side Effects or Long-Term Health Concerns? 

L-theanine is very well tolerated. People have been drinking green and black tea for a very long time without experiencing health problems. In rare cases, drinking too much tea can lead to digestive upset or nausea. Animal model studies show that even at very high doses, sustained ingestion of theanine causes no significant adverse effects. 

*However, a typical cup of coffee contains between 2 and 3 times as much caffeine as an equivalent amount of black tea. If you’re already a coffee drinker, swapping out a cup or two per day for a few cups of brewed tea shouldn’t cause any noticeable differences. 

How Much L-Theanine in a Cup of Tea? 

Researchers at the University of Bristol experimented to find out how much l-theanine you’d find in a cup of normally brewed commercial tea. They found that longer brewing times led to higher quantities of the amino acid, but on average: 

A typical 200 ml cup of brewed black tea contained 24.2 mg of l-theanine (+ or – 5.7 mg). 

A typical cup of brewed green tea contained 7.9 mg (+ or – 3.8 mg)

L-theanine supplements are typically sold as 200 mg doses, so if you drink 8 cups of black tea per day – or many more cups of green tea – you’ll get the same quantity of the amino acid as you’d get by taking a supplement. 

If you want to get very serious about extracting the maximum quantity of l-theanine from each pot of tea, then follow the advice of researchers from The University of Newcastle in Australia, who tested various extraction methods to see which yielded the best results. They say, to get the highest possible amount of L-theanine: 

Steep tea at 80 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes

Use a water to tea ratio of 20 ml per 1 gram

Steep tea that is between 0.5 and 1 mm in particle size. (Crush the dry tea leaves if larger to get the most theanine out of the leaves). 

Research Supporting L-Theanine for Relaxation

Theanine vs. Xanax? 

Researchers in Australia compared 200 mg of theanine to 1 mg of Xanax. Subjects were given either theanine, Xanax or a placebo during either a resting task (baseline) or a task that provoked anxiety.

Theanine worked better than Xanax to induce relaxation during the resting task, though neither theanine nor Xanax had any significant effects during the anxiety task. 

L-theanine supplements are typically sold as 200 mg doses – or 8 to 10 times as much as you’d get from a typical cup of brewed black tea. So would you experience any relaxation effect after drinking just a couple of cups of tea? 

To find out, researchers in the Netherlands took EEG measurements of healthy study subjects from 45 minutes to 105 minutes after ingesting 50 mg of l-theanine (approximately 2 cups worth). 

They found that even at this moderate dose, compared to subjects given a placebo, those given l-theanine displayed significantly more alpha brain wave activity. 

Alpha waves signify an alert but relaxed brain. 

Theanine to Protect Against Stress-Linked Memory Problems 

Chronic elevated stress can harm your memory. The theanine in tea may protect your brain from this negative consequence. Some very recent animal model research (June 2013) shows that theanine protects the brain against stress-caused memory impairments – probably by defending against the toxic impact of stress hormones. 

A group of rats were divided into two experimental conditions. One group received three weeks of pre-treatment with theanine and the other group did not. After three weeks, all rats were put under severe stress. Control rats experienced stress-caused visual memory impairments but rats pretreated with theanine did not. Rats pretreated with theanine had a much smaller corticosterone level increase than control rats, which likely explains the differing results on the memory tests. 

Theanine to Block Stress-Related Blood Pressure Spikes 

Some people experience more significant blood pressure increases during periods of high stress.Researchers in Japan ran an experiment to see what effect theanine had on stress-related blood pressure increases. 

Study subjects were given a placebo or 200 mg of theanine and then tested on mental and physical performance under different conditions: at rest, under psychological stress and under physiological stress.

Compared to placebo, theanine lowered blood pressure increases associated with stress situations.This effect was greatest for subjects who experienced the greatest change from resting blood pressure to stress-situation blood pressure during placebo trials.

Outrunning Depression: Exploring the Link between Body and Mind

My uncle came across this article written by Alex Hutchinson in The Globe and Mail the other day and suggested I read it. It explores the link between mental health and exercise. I've been trying to increase my exercise routine to help defeat depression and although it's still going a little slow, I can say that on days when I go for a walk outside, do half an hour of yoga, or go for a bike ride I feel so much better than on the days I don't do these things. Being able to actually feel the improvement encourages me to keep at it. 

Exercise is known to release endorphins (chemicals) into your brain. When these endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain they boost positive feelings which enhances your mood while also reducing your perception of pain. This is crucial for those suffering from depression because by releasing these 'feel-good' endorphins, the chemical imbalance in your brain that is causing your depression will start to alter, training you to have more positive feelings. 

I will write more blog posts on the importance of exercise in overcoming depression, but for now I'll let you read the article below:

For the teens in Dan McGann’s twice-a-week running group, exercise is therapy. That’s not a metaphor: They’ve all been referred to the group by their doctors after being diagnosed with depression or other mental illness. McGann, a therapist, has been leading the program at Trillium Health Partners Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga since 2006. 

“Running is one of the biggest reasons I’m still standing on this earth today,” says Josh Copperthwaite, a 17-year-old who first joined the group two years ago. “When you run you can leave all the bad things in your life behind you – it’s just you and the road. For a few minutes out of the day, you feel free from the weight of depression that clings to your shoulders.” 

There’s plenty of evidence that exercise really is a powerful tool for mental health – in some cases even “as effective as antidepressants,” as headlines often claim. But it’s not at all clear how it works. Is exercise just something that makes you feel good, like completing your to-do list or doing a good deed for a stranger, or does it have some deeper effect on the roots of depression? A recent study by Swedish researchers offers the strongest evidence yet for the latter, suggesting that – in mice, at least – physically fit muscles play a direct role in protecting the brain from stress-induced damage. 

The results are just one part of a larger puzzle: “In neurobiological terms, we actually still don’t know what depression is,” Dr. Mia Lindskog, a researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, noted in a statement when the study was published last month in the journal Cell. Understanding the link between muscle and brain – healthy body and healthy mind – not only gives us new insights on the nature of depression, it also enables researchers to zero in on exactly how much and what types of exercise will best fight depression – or prevent it from starting in the first place. 

Researchers have proposed many different theories for how it works. One obvious candidate is the mood-boosting brain chemicals that are produced during and after exercise: Even if you don’t experience the elusive “runner’s high,” there’s little doubt that endorphins, endocannabinoids and perhaps other brain chemicals produce immediate feelings of well-being. 

Another possibility is the effect of exercise-triggered growth factors, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which are associated with the growth of new neurons – a key point, since depression is thought to be associated with neuron loss in certain brain areas. 

“Psychosocial” factors likely also play a key role: “Exercise allows me to set goals and encourages me to live a healthier, active life,” explains Sean Burdette, a 17-year-old who took part in McGann’s run program last spring to help cope with severe depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Sticking to the routine and setting and achieving goals “has raised my confidence and allowed me to view life positively instead of thinking negatively,” he says.That’s precisely what McGann was hoping for when he started the group after discovering that running helped him through a major depressive episode of his own. Exercise enables teens to take an active role in fighting for their own health, he says, rather than seeing themselves as the passive recipient of treatment.

“Each week the teen experientially, through running, learns that they do have the power and the ability to change their state by taking action,” he says. “I have them complete a runners’ log sheet every time they come in that records their mood before the run and then after so they can see the difference.” 

The Swedish study offers yet another perspective. The researchers induced depression-like behaviour in mice by subjecting them to mild stress such as loud noises and flashing lights for five weeks. The stress caused increased production of a molecule called kynurenine in the liver, which then travelled through the bloodstream to the brain. Previous studies have found that kynurenine is associated with brain inflammation and neuron death, and patients with a variety of mental illnesses tend to have elevated levels.But when the same experiments were repeated with mice that were specially bred to be physically fit, less kynurenine made it to the brain. The reason? Exercise causes muscles to produce more of a protein called PGC-1alpha1, which in turn produces an enzyme that transforms kynurenine into a related molecule called kynurenic acid. 

The two molecules sound similar, but there’s a crucial difference: Kynurenic acid can’t cross the blood-brain barrier, so it’s unable to get into the brain and wreak havoc. As a result, the fit mice were less likely to develop depression despite exposure to the lights and noises. 

In other words, explains senior co-author Dr. Jorge Ruas, a researcher at the Karolinska Institute, it’s not that well-trained muscles produce a substance that helps the brain; instead, they produce a substance that purges the body of something that would otherwise harm the brain. 

Ruas and his co-workers are now planning follow-up studies in human volunteers who are using exercise to treat their depression. Attacking kynurenine may also offer a new target for drug development, although it’s unlikely that any pill will be able to fully replicate the effects of real-life exercise. “Physical exercise has many components which may contribute to the anti-depressant effect,” Ruas says. 

Dr. Guy Faulkner, head of the exercise psychology group at the University of Toronto and founding editor of the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity, agrees – and points to studies in which even mild walking, which is unlikely to be vigorous enough to send a surge of chemicals through the brain, helps alleviate depression. Whatever different mechanisms are at work during exercise, the precise combination that makes any given patient feel better is likely to be “highly individual-specific,” he says. 

For McGann’s teens, the details of the mechanism matter less than the results. About 400 kids (and some of their parents) have gone through the program so far, with several going on to run marathons and half-marathons. Other groups have now set up similar programs across the province, many with support from a charity called Team Unbreakable. 

“We have a slogan in the run group: ‘Hills are our friends,’” McGann says. “In other words, the challenges in our lives become easier the more we face them. Hills become easier the more that you run them.” 

World Mental Health Day

 "Real depression isn't being sad when something in your life goes wrong, real depression is being sad when everything in your life is going right." - Kevin Breel 

Today is World Mental Health Day. What does that mean exactly? Well, it's a day dedicated to talking openly and honestly about mental health issues in an effort to raise awareness and educate people around the globe which in turn will help decrease (and eventually eliminate) the stigma associated with mental illnesses so people will feel more comfortable asking for and receiving the help they desperately need and deserve. 

It is important to realize that everyone experiences mental health issues differently. Just because I deal with depression doesn't mean I can relate to everything that another depressed person is dealing with. You can't make generalizations about mental illnesses because how one person suffers is individual to them. We all have unique brain chemistry which causes us each to act and react to things in our own way. There are certainly common traits among individuals which makes it easier for those of us suffering to understand each other, but you are the only person who truly knows what it feels like to be you. Because of this, talking about mental health is very complex, there is no simple explanation and no 'one size fits all' solution. But only by engaging in a dialogue on the subject can we come to understand mental health illnesses better. The only way to learn is through people's experiences and the only way to get people to tell their stories is by making sure they feel comfortable enough to do so. 

When you're depressed, one of the hardest things to do is to admit it. That's why it's so important for us to talk openly and honestly about depression and eliminate the stigma attached to it because when someone is brave enough to come forward and talk about their suffering, when they reach out for help, there needs to be a community who is willing to stand by them and support them, not one that will silence them and look the other way. 

Like Kevin Breel said:

"...unfortunately, we live in a world where if you break your arm, everyone runs over to sign your cast, but if you tell people you're depressed, everyone runs the other way. That's the stigma. We are so, so, so accepting of any body part breaking down other than our brains. And that's ignorance. That's pure ignorance, and that ignorance has created a world that doesn't understand depression, that doesn't understand mental health."

Kevin Breel is an absolutely beautiful soul. Like many of us dealing with a mental health issue, you wouldn't know it to look at him. On the outside he appears to be a strong, confident and intelligent individual. But on the inside he is suffering. I urge you to please, please, please watch his TEDtalk! It's short, only 11 minutes, yet it is so profound, so powerful and he really hits the nail right on the head. I promise you that watching this talk will give you incredible insight, it'll change your view of depression and it may even change your life. 

Telecare Peterborough - Defeat Depression Campaign

Well hello there! It's been a while. I'd like to apologize to all my avid readers for the lack of posts over the past month or so. But I guess that's expected when the girl behind the blog suffers from depression herself. I love to share my stories with you all and help you out in whatever way I can, but sometimes life gets a little rough for me as well and the motivation to sit here and write just disappears and I need to take a break for a little while. But that being said, I'm back now and ready to continue this journey with you. 

Just a little update: While I was unplugged from this blog over the past month, life has changed for me a little bit. Since I haven't been working I could no longer finance my living situation in Toronto and so I have moved back home to my parents' house in the Kawartha Lakes. I'm not a city person, and I don't think I was cut out for the Toronto life, but I do miss my independence. But for now, this is the right choice. It's nice to live at home with my family around for support and to be rent free so I can start to build up my finances again. 

Anyways, on to the point of this blog post... 

Tomorrow, Saturday October 4, 2014, Telecare Distress Centre of Peterborough is holding a run / walk-athon to help raise awareness and erase the stigma associated with depression. 

The event takes place at Jackson Park (610 Parkhill Rd. Peterborough). The site is open at 9am with the walk scheduled to start at 10am. 

"Telecare Peterborough is a free, anonymous and strictly confidential 24-hour call line for people in need of a friendly person who will listen. Our phones are answered by volunteers who are good listeners, enjoy talking to people and are trained to handle crisis situations. It is our vision that every person who calls will have access to a caring, empathetic and non-judgmental listener. Our mission is to support and strengthen Telecare services to our clients and volunteers by developing and maintaining effective crisis intervention and support."

To register for the walk or to donate please click on the link to visit the Defeat Depression Campaign website. 

You can also learn more about Telecare Distress Centre of Peterbotough by visiting their website - www.telecarepeterborough.org

For those of you closer to the Lindsay area, there is also Telecare Lindsay - http://www.telecarelindsay.org/

10 Ways to Feel Less Lonely

We’ve all experienced feelings of loneliness at one time or another, whether it be from boredom, moving to a new school and not knowing anyone or due to a variety of other changes within your life. Unfortunately, those of us dealing with depression feel alone on a regular basis. We could be in a room surrounded by all of our closest friends, laughing and having a good time or we could be having a quiet evening at home with our family, but despite being surrounded by people we love and people who love us, inside we feel empty, like we’re the only one in the room.

Despite these feelings, it is important to try and not let your loneliness define you, to not let it take over your life or keep you from having a good time. Instead of wallowing in your loneliness, allow yourself to appreciate your alone time. This is a good time to discover who you truly are, to find new passions, to work on a project that you keep putting off. Alone time doesn’t have to be lonely if you look at it in a positive way. Below are 10 tips of things you can do when you feel alone to help you centre yourself and calm your mind so you can appreciate the time you have to yourself.

1. Go for a walk in the woods. This allows you to escape the busyness and stress of daily life and to experience the world as it was truly meant to be before us humans destroyed most of its beauty. The fresh air and the sounds of nature are peaceful and refreshing. Reconnecting with the earth can ground you and make you feel a part of something special.

2. Spend some time in the sun. Sunlight is a natural treatment for depression. It lifts our spirits and helps us enjoy our day

3. Meditate. Meditation has been proven to relieve stress and help with depression. Set aside some time each day to sit in a comfortable spot, erase the thoughts from your mind, enjoy the pure silence and concentrate on your breathing. It takes some practice to do this successfully, but with time you will be calm, you will feel all your anxieties drift away and you will feel connected to yourself in a way that you have never experienced before.

4. Practice Yoga. Like meditation, yoga helps you to calm your mind, to be in control of your body and allows good energy to flow through your body while flushing out all the negative thoughts that are weighing you down. Exercise keeps you healthy, triggers your feel good hormones, and if you take yoga at a public class, you can meet lots of like minded people and hopefully develop some new friendships.

5. Write a journal. This is my go-to when I’m feeling lonely. I find that getting all my thoughts and emotions out of my head and onto paper really reduces my anxiety and allows me to process how I’m feeling in a more logical way.

6. Play with your pet. Being around animals has been proven to reduce stress and make us happier. Playing with a furry companion who will love you unconditionally will really give you a purpose and make you feel less lonely. If you don’t have a pet of your own, check out your local animal shelter and if you can, consider adopting one of the animals (they need our love and companionship just as much as we need theirs).

7. Watch TED Talks. There are literally hundreds of talks all filled with inspiration and creativity. There is truly something for everyone and I promise you you’ll feel more in touch with yourself and the rest of humanity after watching. Sometimes watching TED Talks is just what I need to inspire me to be the best me I can be and to give me the motivation to get off the couch and enjoy my day.

8. Read a book. If you enjoy reading then you don’t need me to explain how amazing it feels to get lost in a fictional world for a little while. More often than not I get so immersed in a book that I completely forget about the real world. The characters become my friends, the plot becomes my life, and for however long it takes me to finish the book, I’m truly not alone.

9. Pamper yourself. Appreciate your alone time and indulge in an at home spa day. Light a candle. Put on some relaxing music. Enjoy a soothing bath. Give yourself a hair treatment. Exfoliate your skin. Give yourself a facial. Paint your nails. Just love yourself.

10. Call your friends or family. Sometimes we just need to hear the voice of someone we love to calm us down and reminds us that we’re not alone in this world, that even though we may feel lonely, there’s people out there who truly care about us. Instead of picking up the phone, why not use Skype or Face Time? Seeing the person you’re talking to will give you a boost of happiness because instead of feeling like you’re just talking to a distant voice, you’ll feel like that person is really with you. 

FROZEN

When I first started seeing my acupuncturist he suggested I watch the Disney movie Frozen. I had heard of the movie, but originally just wrote it off as a silly children's movie. But my acupuncturist convinced me that the movie was a good portrayal of a young girl dealing with depression and how she overcame it, so I decided to give it a watch. 

Be strong and brave like Elsa. Be positive like Anna. And be happy and kind-hearted like Olaf. 

Here are a few tips that I took from the movie and my discussion with my acupuncturist.

// Being cold all the time can lead to depression. When your body is a regular temperature, you feel better and happier and you're more likely to do things and have an easier time doing them because your body is alert and energetic. However, when you're cold for long periods of time your body starts to shut down and and all your energy is focused on trying to keep you warm instead of helping you be productive. When we're cold, we tend to have worse posture as we shrug our shoulders and fold our bodies up to try and keep the heat in. The problem is that when we're bent over like that, we have bad circulation so our blood does not flow through our body properly, thus reinforcing the feeling of coldness. Staying warm and, as a result, having better posture will improve your circulation and help you maintain a normal body temperature. This will give you more energy and will also help you breathe better since your airways aren't constricted from being bent over which will help you feel more relaxed. 

>>> Side Note: For those of you who know me, you know that I am constantly freezing cold. It's been a problem for years. It can be the middle of the summer and you'll still see me wearing sweaters and wrapped in blankets. This could be a potential cause of my depression because my body has simply depleted all it's energy resources by trying to warm me up and the lack of energy may be a contributor to my feelings of pure exhaustion. 

// Isolating yourself is a recipe for depression. Human's are hardwired to crave companionship, friendship and love. We need these social bonds in our life to form deep connections, to give us a sense of purpose and to make us happy and experience positive emotions. People may prefer different levels of interactions with others, but we all need positive relationships in our lives to help us grow. I know for some people it's harder than for others, but letting people in and forming some strong bonds will really help to alleviate your depression by having people you can count on and who you can talk to and who will help you get off the couch or out of bed and go outside and start doing things again. 

// Opening up and being truthful both with yourself and with those around you is a big step to overcoming your depression. It's not easy by any means. But allowing yourself to accept the situation you're in and talking to others about what you're going through is really a huge weight off your chest. This was so hard for me to do, but once I started opening up to others I realized how much support I had and people understood me better so it strengthened my relationship with friends, family, employers and co-workers. The hardest thing to do is to ask for help, but I promise you it's also the best decision you can make for yourself. 

If you haven't seen this movie, I suggest you check it out. I was skeptical at first, but now I'm in love! It's an adorable story and as this post confirms, there's lost of lessons to be learned from it. 

Me & My Silhouette

Hello friends! Welcome to Me & My Silhouette.

For a couple of years now I’ve been dealing with depression and I’ve found each day to be a constant battle with myself to get out of bed and do the things I enjoy doing. I’m tired of living my life this way; of being a prisoner to my own mind. Something needs to change. I’m determined to get better and to live my life to the fullest. I’m in control, and you are too!

If you want to get better than nothing can stop you. It’s going to be hard, but all good things in life are. If you’re determined, if you persevere, I promise you you’ll become a stronger person, ready to take on the world. All you have to do is believe in yourself. This blog will show you how.

Me & My Silhouette will be my virtual diary; we can take this journey together.

I think education is key; only when you understand what depression truly is can you start taking the steps to getting better. I’ll teach you the facts of depression and give you a list of resources that you can use to enhance your knowledge. I’ll share my personal experiences with you because I know you feel like no one else understands what you’re going through but believe me, I do. And I hope when you hear my story you’ll realize that you’re not alone. Finally, I want to get better, and I want the same for you, so I’ll motivate you, I’ll inspire you, and I’ll give you tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way that I promise will help you if you’re willing to try. I know it’s all easier said than done, I know it’ll be a struggle, but all it takes is a bit of courage, a bit of determination, and some baby steps and you’ll be well on your way to a healthy, happy lifestyle. Let me guide you; let me be your light :)